NEW YORK — A jury that's been bombarded with ghoulish online talk and images of women being cooked alive, sex with dead people and human-flesh feasts will now have to decide the kidnapping conspiracy case against a New York City police officer without hearing testimony from him.

Gilberto Valle opted Tuesday not to take the witness stand in federal court in Manhattan, cutting short the defense case and making it likely that jurors will get the case before the end of the week.